#1 Floyd Mayweather Jr., Boxing, $90,000,000
The May 4 welterweight title bout with Robert Guerrero brought Mayweather a guaranteed purse of $32 million, with his pay-per-view cut yielding at least another $13 million. Once he gets a similar payday for his Sept. 14 fight, likely against Saul (Canelo) Alvarez, he should hit $90 million in 2013 earnings. From two matches alone Mayweather, 36, stands to make nearly as much as Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander will from his five-year, $140 million extension.

Photograph by Isaac Brekken

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#2 LeBron James, Miami Heat (NBA), $56,545,000
James has bounced back from the stain of the Decision in 2010, leading Miami to the ’12 NBA title and repairing his image. New deals followed, with the likes of Baskin-Robbins and Samsung. LeBron, 28, also has one of the biggest contracts with Nike and is a part owner of the Liverpool soccer club. On the court he’s underpaid: The four-time MVP earns less than the Nets’ Joe Johnson and the Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, for example.

Photograph by Lynne Sladky

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#3 Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (NFL), $47,800,000
Brees, 34, had a relatively small base salary last season ($3 million) but landed a gargantuan $37 million signing bonus with his new contract in July 2012. He has traded on his family-man image by plugging products like Dove, Vicks VapoRub, Chase, Verizon, Tide and now Wrangler.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#4 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), $46,850,000
Winding down his career as LeBron hits his stride, the 34-year-old Bryant isn’t losing deals, but he doesn’t have many new ones coming in. While Kobe still benefits from a long contract with Nike, his other sponsors aren’t huge names; they include Smart Car and Lenovo.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#5 Tiger Woods, Golf, $40,839,027
Tiger is back—he earned more than anyone on Tour over the past 12 months—but sponsors have been slower to return. Woods’s current deals are with Nike, EA, Rolex, Kowa (a heat rub), Fuse Science, Upper Deck and NetJets. In the past two years various lists have put Tiger’s portfolio in the $50 million range; don’t believe them. Marketing experts say that even $33 million is generous, but no one really knows how much his deal with Nike is worth. (The best estimates put it at $20 million per year.) And now that Nike is using him in TV ads again (with the ascendant Rory McIlroy), you can bet the Swoosh sees fresh value in its biggest golf star. Phil Mickelson makes more in endorsements, but the 37-year-old Woods made double on the links.

Photograph by Andy Lyons

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#6 Phil Mickelson, Golf, $39,528,000
In golf (and tennis), more than in other sports, endorsement contracts are heavily rankings-based and full of performance bonuses. At 42, Mickelson isn’t winning as much, but he’s still a sponsor’s dream because of his likability. In an ad for arthritis medicine Enbrel (for which he likely earns $7 million a year), he’s decked out in sponsorships: KPMG on his visor, Barclays on the chest of his polo, Callaway on the sleeve.

Photograph by Richard Heathcote

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#7 Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls (NBA), $33,403,000
Rose’s deal with Adidas alone is worth more than $10 million a year. Add that to Powerade, Wilson, Skullcandy, and local Chicago sponsors like Giordano’s pizza, and you see why Rose, 24, has suddenly catapulted into the top 10. Even though he hasn’t played a single game this season due to a torn left ACL, his jersey is the fifth-highest selling in the NBA. (Carmelo Anthony’s of the Knicks is No. 1.)

Photograph by Getty Images

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#8 Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (NFL), $31,000,000
Manning’s salary suddenly pales in comparison with Brees’s (and with the new ones signed by Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers), but he remains football’s biggest endorser and one of the most marketable athletes in American sports: Reebok, Wheaties, DirecTV, Gatorade, Papa John’s and Buick all see the 37-year-old QB as a sure-thing investment.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#9 Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (MLB), $29,900,000
Still the highest-paid player in baseball, A-Rod’s 10-year, $275 million deal goes through 2017—though it’s likely the oft-injured slugger won’t still be playing then. He doesn’t have much left in endorsements apart from Nike, Vita Coco and Rawlings. But it’s not like he needs them. Rodriguez, 37, also gets a $6 million bonus if he ever reaches 660 homers. (He has 647.)

Photograph by Getty Images

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#10 Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), $ 29,020,000
The Dodgers, who have the highest payroll in the majors as well as four players on this list, signed Greinke, 29, to an astonishing six-year, $147 million deal in December that includes $17 million in salary this season plus a $12 million signing bonus. It was the largest contract ever for a righthanded pitcher before the Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander deals surpassed it.

Photograph by Stephen Dunn

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#11 Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (NBA), $28,682,000
Like James, Wade agreed to a lower salary so that the Big Three could come together in Miami, but his endorsement portfolio is thriving after he left Jordan Brand last October to launch his Wade brand with Chinese label Li-Ning. (The first shoe, Way of Wade, comes out in the U.S. this year.) If the Heat wins its second straight title this year Wade, 31, will likely get even more in performance bonuses.

Photograph by Jonathan Daniel

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#12 Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA), $27,670,000
You’ve no doubt seen Durant and Wade having nightmares about each other in a new Gatorade ad. Durant, 24, also has deals with Sprint, Nike, Skullcandy, Degree and GE. He will have to carry more of the load for Oklahoma City with teammate Russell Westbrook out for the playoffs with a knee injury, but no matter what happens the affable Durant will continue to win big off the court.

Photograph by Sue Ogrocki

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#13 Johan Santana, New York Mets (MLB), $26,300,000
It’s difficult for pitchers, who tend to get mostly local deals, to earn as much as position players in endorsements, but thanks to his no-hitter last season—the first in the Mets’ 51-year history—Santana’s deals have spiked with bonuses from Rawlings and New Balance. He’s also got a number of small deals in his home country of Venezuela. The 34-year-old lefthanded ace, who’s out for the season after left shoulder surgery, has a $5.5 million buyout if the Mets let him go next season.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#14 Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (MLB), $25,600,000
When Hernandez, 27, signed his new deal in February it was the largest ever for a pitcher, but Justin Verlander’s eclipsed it in March. King Felix has a bunch of small endorsement deals, but those add up: Nike, Pepsi, 2k Sports, Majestic, Fathead and Topps are among them.

Photograph by Frank Gunn

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#15 Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), $25,360,000
It remains to be seen whether the Chargers will regret not re-signing Jackson, 30, but Tampa Bay quickly inked him to a five-year $55 million deal in March, 2012.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#16 Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks (NBA), $25,300,000
For an elite player Anthony earns less than other NBA superstars off the court: His deals with Jordan Brand, Degree, Samsung and others bring him $5.8 million a year. Endorsement experts say he’d have a hard time getting much more because he doesn’t seem to have the same likability as Durant, Wade or James. And yet the 28-year-old Anthony’s salary is among the highest in the league (sixth this season).

Photograph by Darron Cummings

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#17 Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), $25,280,000
Lee surprised many when he passed up higher offers to return to Philadelphia in 2010, but with a salary of $25 million, don’t feel bad for him. The 34-year-old lefthander has a deal with Phiten (the titanium necklace favored by many players) and with Philly-area garbage hauler J.P. Mascaro & Sons, which put Lee’s face on its trucks.

Photograph by Jason O. Watson

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#18 Mario Williams, Buffalo Bills (NFL), $25,150,000
Many called Williams, 28, one of the worst investments of 2012: After Buffalo signed him to a six-year, $96 million free-agent deal, which included a $19 million signing bonus, he was criticized for lack of effort. (He had been playing with an injured wrist.) Williams has modest endorsement deals with Verizon and MuscleTech.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#19 Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (MLB), $25,100,000
Jeter has had the same high-paying list of brands for years—Nike, Gatorade, Movado, Avon, Ford, 24 Hour Fitness—but advertising experts say the 38-year-old’s earning power off the field is fading fast. His contract is up after this season, with a $9.5 million player option for 2014 and $3 million buyout.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#20 Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (MLB), $25,000,000
The extension Mauer signed in 2010 was the largest ever for his position (eight years, $184 million) and he earns a lot off the diamond from endorsement deals with Nike, Rawlings, Sony, Gatorade and several companies in his home state of Minnesota.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#21 Carl Nicks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), $24,285,000
Right after signing wideout Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay had enough left over to make Nicks, who had just won a Super Bowl ring with New Orleans, the highest-paid guard in the NFL. (Previously it was Logan Mankins of the Patriots.) Nicks, 27, signed a five-year contract worth nearly $47.5 million. No brands back him yet.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#22 CC Sabathia, New York Yankees (MLB), $24,000,000
Another high-earning Yankees veteran whose contract (through 2016, with an option for ’17) is only going to get larger each year, Sabathia, 32, has an impressive stable of deals with Nike, Jordan Brand, Pepsi, Topps and Sony.

Photograph by Elsa

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#23 Prince Fielder, Detriot Tigers (MLB), $23,500,000
Super-agent Scott Boras helped Fielder get a nine-year, $214 million deal from Detroit in 2012. You’d think his popularity and swagger would have earned the 29-year-old slugger more endorsement love, but for now he has only small deals with companies such as Topps and Chevy.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#24 Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (NBA),$23,450,000
The six-time All Star makes slightly more in salary than his teammate Anthony (No. 16) but the 30-year-old Stoudemire doesn’t have the same brand power; his endorsement deals include Nike, Sheets energy strips, Scholastic and Zico coconut water.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#25 Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), $23,200,000
The 33-year-old slugger continues to be a marketable face: He has deals with Under Armour, Rawlings, Subway and ABC television. You may also have seen him playing a dopey version of himself (“professional baseball player Ryan Howard”) on The Office.

Photograph by Christian Petersen

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#26 Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants (MLB), $23,000,000
San Francisco’s baby-faced starter has only one big endorsement deal, but it’s with Red Bull, a brand increasingly shelling out for individual athletes and expensive team sponsorships. Lincecum, 28, also rocks the Phiten, as many pitchers do; from those two relationships, he’s getting $1 million.

Photograph by Jason O. Watson

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#27 Matt Schaub, Houston Texans (NFL), $22,780,000
Schaub, 31, had already earned $550,000 under his previous contract when he renegotiated last September for $4.4 million in salary plus a $17.5 million signing bonus. He has endorsement deals with Houston’s Methodist Hospital, Nike and Verizon.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#28 Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees (MLB), $22,725,000
His eight-year, $180 million contract goes through 2016, and he has long-term endorsement deals with Nike and Rawlings, though neither pays much. Teixeira, 33, is also involved in some unique business ventures: Juice Press, in which he invests, and Wheels Up, a celebrity-athlete consulting firm he launched with the former CEO of Marquis Jet.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#29 Calvin Johnson, Detriot Lions (NFL), $22,600,000
Johnson, 27, got a new deal in March 2012 that paid $21.75 million last season. The All-Pro is getting more and more visible off the field: In addition to scoring the cover of Madden NFL 13 video game, he shot a commercial for Acura and has signed endorsement deals with Nike and Eastbay.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#30 Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), $22,400,000
For a while Kemp, 28, was the face of the new Dodgers after signing an eight-year, $160 million deal in 2011, but no big endorsement deals followed. Notably, he is pictured, bat at the ready, on pouches of Big League Chew, as is Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.

Photograph by Victor Decolongon

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#31 Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), $21,936,000
There was the chance that Howard’s off-court stock would rise after his trade from Orlando to Los Angeles last fall, but that hasn’t happened. Advertising experts say that his bad attitude in recent years has hurt his marketability, which is why he has only three big-name deals: Adidas, Gatorade and Acuvue contacts.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#32 Vernon Wells, New York Yankees (MLB), $21,600,000
The 34-year-old Wells is trying to prove that he’s not just the latest aging, overpriced Yankee. The $21 million he’s making this season is a bit less than he got last season from the Angels. (By comparison, Anaheim star Mike Trout, who replaced Wells, earns $510,000.)

Photograph by Dustin Bradford

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#33 Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (NBA), $21,580,000
Blake Griffin may be the most marketable star on the Clippers, but his salary won’t land him on this list until next year. Paul, meanwhile, has deals with Jordan Brand, Jeep, Upper Deck, and, of course, State Farm, with its popular “Cliff Paul” ad series.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#34 Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), $21,350,000
Before his trade from the Red Sox in August 2012, Gonzalez, 31, had some deals in Boston, including with Dunkin’ Donuts, but in L.A. he is not yet as popular. His current deals with Nike, Rawlings, Tater Grip, State Farm, T-Mobile, Trinity Bat and Gargoyles are worth just $350,000.

Photograph by Harry How

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#35 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (NBA), $21,307,000
The careerlong Mav could have scored at least a few big-name sponsors after leading his team to the 2011 NBA title, but he turned down several offers (he does have one shoe deal, with Nike), saying that he has never seen himself as a brand. You gotta love a guy who, at 34, just wants to focus on basketball.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#36 Miguel Cabrera, Detriot Tigers (MLB), $21,200,000
Even after winning the first Triple Crown in 45 seasons and the AL MVP in 2012, Cabrera, 30, hasn’t been in demand off the field. Still, he is in the midst of an eight-year, $152.3 million deal he signed in ’08.

Photograph by Duane Burleson

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#37 Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), $21,100,000
Gasol, 32, may not immediately come to mind as an endorsement machine, and here in the U.S., he isn’t, apart from a deal with Nike. But he has a great portfolio in his native Spain, including a lucrative relationship with Banco Popular.

Photograph by Getty Images

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#38 Justin Verlander, Detriot Tigers (MLB), $20,600,000
In 2015, the flamethrowing righty’s salary will go up to $28 million, which will likely put him even higher on the list. Verlander, 30, has deals with Reebok and Phiten.

Photograph by Duane Burleson

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#39 Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), $20,210,000
Halladay’s ERA was as low as 2.35 in 2011, but it spiked to 4.49 last year and was 8.65 on May 6 when the 35-year-old went on the DL with soreness in his right shoulder. His biggest corporate relationship is with 2K Sports, which put him on the cover of its MLB 2K11 game.

Photograph by Michael Perez

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#40 Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants (MLB), $20,100,000
The 28-year-old Cain’s main endorsement deals are with Mizuno, Activision and Topps. After his perfect game on June 13, 2012, Mizuno presented him with a commemorative Samurai sword. (Zach Greinke has also received a sword from the same company). For athletes 41 through 50, click here.